1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic controlled heat cooking apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic controlled heat cooking apparatus such as a microwave oven which is capable of a timer operation mode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Of late a microprocessor has been utilized in a heat cooking apparatus such as a microwave oven, in the light of the advantage that a variety of cooking modes can be performed with a relatively simple structure. In case of such an electronic controlled heat cooking apparatus employing a microprocessor, it is necessary to enter information for control to the microprocessor. It has been common that entry means of the so-called ten-key type has been employed as such information entry means. Accordingly, even in entering a timer time period for the purpose of a timer operation mode, for example, the ten-key type entry means had to be operated; however, it was not easy to operate such entry means for setting the above described timer time period to an operator not familiar with an arrangement of keys in the ten-key type entry means.
Although a conventional cooking apparatus is structured to display by a display means at the beginning the timer time period entered by the above described cooking input operation, the display means was merely adapted to indicate only the left time period after once a heating operation is initiated. Accordingly, it was impossible to confirm the timer time period originally entered after the heat operation is completed, even when it is desired to confirm such timer time period.
Furthermore, according to the conventional apparatus, it was impossible to change the timer time period once set, after the above described heat operation is started. Even if such change is feasible in the conventional apparatus, complicated and tiresome key operations were required, which makes it impossible to quickly change the set timer time period as necessary.